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The Finnish parliament last week voted to allow gay couples in registered partnerships to adopt their partners’ biological children. The bill passed last Friday by a 108-29 vote. One parliamentarian abstained and 61 were absent. The new law allows children to be eligible for alimony, and to inherit the estate of non-biological parents. In the case of separation, the non-biological parent now also qualifies for visitation rights. In related news, Finnish police are to start compiling data on hate crimes. While police have kept an eye on crimes motivated by racism for the last decade, the new, broader focus will also include crimes targeting groups such as sexual minorities and the disabled. “It is time to consider recognising hate crime as its own category in Finnish legislation,” Interior Ministry Chief of Staff Ritva Viljanen told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. “Gay culture in Finland today cannot be simply a culture of survival, which is a fear of discrimination. It must be a culture of a society of equality,” she said.
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